Silvered Ebony
by Aeriths-Rain
Summary: In the laboratory, a young boy finds comfort in the arms of another experiment. VincentxSephiroth, later ZackxCloud
1. Chapter 1

**Pairing:** At the moment none, but will later become Sephiroth/Vincent

**Requested by:** Alzilur  
**Warnings:** Violence, child abuse, later male x male.  
**AN:** Well, this was a pairing I had never considered before, but it was requested and I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I won't be able to update it for a long time as I am going to China for two weeks, but this will be the second story (after Crimson Raindrops) that I update when I return. This is set when Sephiroth was a child, so around 24 years before Final Fantasy 7.

* * *

Vincent lay still in the claustrophobic box, body aching from Hojo's earlier treatment. The voices in his head were louder than usual, and he longed again for death. It was what he had wished for since the day he had been shot. Since then every moment had been pain. His eyes fogged with tears of agony and frustration. He had tried to do more than wish for death. He had grabbed a scalpel, plunged it deep into his left arm, dragged it along to let the blood pool up.

He'd been curled up on the floor, screaming in frustration and hatred at the way his arm healed almost as soon as he made the cut, when Hojo had found him. He'd been dragged to his feet, buckled down on the experiment table and his blood had been forced to boil as caustic injections bubbled through his veins. Hojo had stood back, admiring and making notes, uncaring about his subject's agony. After what felt like years but was really only a few horrific hours, Hojo was finished, curiosity sated, mind satisfied and body exhausted. He permitted Vincent to return to the coffin, carrying him over there and slamming the wooden lid on.

Vincent had no way of knowing how long passed. It could be hours, it could be days, maybe even years. The longest he had stayed trapped in this box so far was 5 months, during which time the pain ebbed, his hair grew, and he had been almost relieved that his only problem was the noise of his constant companions, the demons who detested him almost as much as he detested himself.

He gasped slightly as a faint glimmer of light filtered through a gap in the wood as the lid was lifted, making him screw his eyes up tightly as he was nearly blinded. As it continued to get lighter he forced himself to lay completely limp. He pretended to himself that if he lay totally still and played dead, Hojo would get bored more quickly. He didn't know if it actually worked, as Hojo often decided that such a protest merely required further torture to ensure a reaction. But he needed to believe he had some power over his life.

A pair of hands touched his shoulder, and his teeth bit down into his lip, dropping a few beads of blood into his mouth. This was surprisingly recent after last time for Hojo, he normally gave Vincent at least an hour to recover, but from Vincent's estimate he had left only half an hour ago. He focussed on slowing his pulse as much as possible. His mind suddenly cleared. These weren't Hojo's hands. The fingers were too slender, too delicate, and the touch wasn't painful enough.

A slight smile graced his lips as he allowed himself to imagine it was her. To truly think that Lucrecia was standing over him, and would pull him up, kiss him gently on the cheek and giggle that infectious laugh of hers, grabbing him and leading him off from the labs, towards safety and human kindness. His heart skipped a beat. He allowed himself to indulge in this fantasy for almost an entire second, before opening his eyes. He knew she was long dead. He couldn't blame her for that any more; he had tried to die by his own hand as well.

He relaxed slightly as he saw who it was standing above him, allowing himself to focus on someone else other than himself, and it helped the voices silence. The nervous, almost feline, eyes of a child were fixed on his rubies, and the mid-chest length cascade of silver hair enclosed the two of them, stroking against his cheek and allowing them a moment of communication. Not audible conversation, that could be overheard, but one based solely on the eyes and facial features. It was something that most of the experiments had learnt, but the two of them had developed it to such a level that the lack of language hardly hindered them.

Vincent started, staring up at the six-year-olds pale face. There was a bruise over his left eye, and a cut below it, on which a few beads of blood had formed. The normally immaculate hair was marred by congealed blood, and he felt a shudder of pity. Regardless of if it was from the boy, or from someone the boy was ordered to fight, the child still hated his hair being dirty. He managed a slight reassuring smile at the boy. 'It's alright, don't be afraid.'

A very slight inclination of the head, a momentary crease of the forehead, nothing that would be noticeable if you didn't know where to look. 'I have to be afraid.' Vincent sighed slightly, tilting his eyes away from the boy and towards where he knew the exit to the laboratory would be.

'Is he there?' The boy's eyes closed, answering in affirmative. Vincent shuddered slightly. They would probably be forced to fight again, and he knew the boy didn't like causing him pain. He was the closest the child had to a friend, and the boy hated hurting him.

Vincent stuck his tongue out briefly, acting far more childlike than normal. 'It's alright, we're friends.' The faintest glimmer of a smile showed on the boy's face. 'Thank you. I'm sorry.'

"SEPHIROTH!" Hojo's voice rang out, and the boy jumped away, a guilty expression across his face. He knew he wasn't meant to waste time like that. As he stepped away, Vincent saw that the boy was dressed in a mock-SOLDIER outfit, of the kind that some tailors made for small children with big dreams. This boy had no choice in the matter, he didn't want to be a fighter, but he had no choice. He was made for it, in the same way that in Hojo's mind, Vincent was made to be an experiment. Vincent sat up in the coffin, to try and spare the boy from further pain or punishment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sadly not mine  
**AN:** Please excuse any typos in this chapter. It is being written in China, and I do not have access to an English spellcheck, though I do have a tempermental spacebar. I hope you like the update, even though it is quite short. I am not very good at fight scenes. In case anyone is concerned, I am having a great time in China, though I do miss you all!  
**Pairing:** Still not here yet, future Sephiroth/Vincent  
**Warnings:** Violence, including violence against children.

* * *

Vincent sat up, groaning in pain as the movement sent fresh bursts of agony running through his spine. He stretched slightly, muscles aching from the cramped conditions. He watched as the long-haired boy walked back to the scientist. The boy was trembling. Not visibly, Hojo would punish him for any such weakness,but on the inside. He felt almost certain that the boy would cry himself to sleep tonight, like he did so many nights when he had no one to look after him. Vincent could feel his heart melting with pity. No matter how bad his life was, he had once been normal, once had friends and had felt love. This boy had nothing but his unnatural strength, and the experiments and fights which filled his life.

Hojo nodded, pleased with the boy's obedience. Though the child was technically his son, he did not often think of him as such. Only when the President praised him, which wasn't often, did he acknowledge his relationship with the child. Sephiroth was not aware of it. He tutted slightly at the mess the boy was in. He'd hesitated in the last fight, and it had led to him getting injured. No hesitation this time. He set up a video camera to ensure that neither of them cheated, he wanted this to be a proper fight, something he could show to the others and explain how well his prodigy was developing into a mindless killer. He picked up a silver blade, pressed it painfully into Sephiroth's hand, nodding as his fingers closed around it.  
"Valentine, you are not to transform." He chuckled slightly as the injured man in the coffin managed a slight nod. "The fight will stop when one or other of you gives up and collapses."

Sephiroth listened in horror. He didn't want this fight, especially not when he had such an unfair advantage over the other. He didn't step forwards when Hojo told him to.  
"You stupid boy!" Hojo snarled, hitting the child and smirking as tears shone in those emerald eyes. Maybe this way he would learn how to obey and stop being so troublesome and obstinate.

A shiver ran down Vincent's spine. He didn't mind Hojo hurting him, it was a daily occurence, but not the child. He knew Hojo got worse if he didn't get what he wanted, and so carefully he climbed out of the coffin, stretching his stiff and aching joints. He turned to stare at the child with pleading eyes. 'Just do it, I don't want you hurt.' Sephiroth gave the slightest of nods. 'I understand, thankyou.' He twisted his grip so he held the handle of the blade, and ran forwards across the wide laboratory, skidding to a halt a hair's breadth from Vincent when Hojo spoke. When Hojo spoke, you stopped what you were doing and you listened and you obeyed.

"I want both of you to fight properly or else." The laughter that followed the speech echoed off the walls, and Sephiroth's earlier tears threatened to reappear as he wrapped his arms slightly around himself. It wasn't fair that he had to hurt Vincent, Vincent was kind to him and he smiled properly, not the predatory gaze Hojo often fixed him with. "Sephiroth you will go back to fighting the monsters, and this time BOTH of your hands will be tied behind your back, and Vincent we will see how you react to being immersed in hydrochloric acid." The scientist almost hoped he would have a reason to punish them.

Sephiroth shook visibly for a second, fear overcoming affection. He leapt onto Vincent, and yelped as Vincent moved away and he was thrown onto the floor, crying out in pain as he felt a handful of ribs snap. He would have to keep fighting regardless.

Vincent shuddered, feeling horrible. He had never meant to hurt the boy, it had been a reflex for self-defence he had picked up while in the Turks. Hojo at least was enjoying the fight. Vincent knew he had to end the fight quickly, and he would have to lose to spare Sephiroth worse pain. Hojo liked to design forfits for the loser, as though the pain from the fight wasn't enough. He ran over, lying across the boy, hiding the hand with the blade from the other man's view. From where Hojo and the video camera were located, he would be trying to pin him.

Sephiroth looked up nervously into those strange eyes. They looked like they should belong to a monster, but Vincent was the only person here who wasn't a monster. 'What are you doing?' He gasped slightly as Vincent's hand closed around his, and the red glow of Vincent's eyes reassured him. 'Trust me.' The eyes didn't move away as their hands lifted, the point of the blade pressing through Vincent's shirt and into his ribs. 'Stab me.'

Sephiroth flinched as though he were the wounded one as he plunged the knife as deep as it would go, aiming at a gap between his friend's ribs. Vincent screamed out in agony, leaping away automatically, but just for a second smiled slightly at Sephiroth. 'You did well.'

Sephiroth looked down, his whole body shaking. His face was pale, aside from the fresh crimson blood across his hands and skin. He had stabbed his friend. He had hurt him badly, and it had happened so he wasn't hurt. He felt guilty and his young mind was filled with remorse. For a second he was the six year old he should have been allowed to be, and he started sobbing. Vincent tried to calm him, but it was impossible under Hojo's scrutiny.

"STOP!" Hojo shouted, smirking as both of the other's relaxed. They should have known better by now. He turned away from them, rummaging in the box from which he removed Sephiroth's blade, and picked out a smaller but sharper knife. Perfect. He smirked, grabbing Valentine's left hand and pushing the blade through the muscle, enjoying the way Vincent gasped out and trembled in fear and pain. "You are to cut Sephiroth's shoulder to even the odds."

Vincent nodded, shaking worse. The boy was ambidextrous, so it didn't matter which arm it was that was damaged. He pulled the knife out of his own hand, slicing into the boy's flesh. He made the movement quick, and the cut as shallow as Hojo would allow, which was still far too deep. He held Sephiroth upright as he whimpered in pain, more tears running down his face. Once the child had gained enough control to stand, Vincent walked away.

Sephiroth understood. By turning his back, Vincent had presented him with a large target, and a way to end the fight. Swapping the knife into the uninjured hand, he threw it, smiling in grim satisfaction as it hit the mark, sliding between two of the other man's ribs. Vincent collapsed to the floor before him, previous complicity gone as he tried to remove he blade. Sephiroth walked forwards, trying to remind himself that Vincent had wanted this. He pushed Vincent over, pressing his forehead down against the ground, and removed the knife, shuddering at the fresh burst of glistening blood and the moan of pain his action caused. Vincent coughed weakly, staining the ground before his mouth with the same red ink. Sephiroth pressed the edge of the knife to his throat, praying that it would stop soon so he could help his friend. He looked up at Hojo in hope.

"Go on." Hojo tutted slightly. The fight had been so short, and Vincent could have still got up. It wouldn't finish until he was totally broken with agony, unable to continue fighting. The boy obediently pressed the knife deeper, causing droplets which quickly became a river to fall to the ground. The older fighter gasped as he struggled to breath, clutching at his throat. Hojo watched in silence, considering the aesthetic value of the scene. "Stop." He continued with his notes, nodding as he saw Sephiroth pull the knife away. Without the support, Vincent fell forwards helplessly onto the floor. The scientist stopped the camera and smiled, an oddly calm smile for what he had just witnessed. "Next time you will be unarmed so that the fight lasts longer." With that, he left to rewatch the tape and finish his latest reports on his subjects' development, pausing only to roll a Cure materia across the floor towards his anxiously waiting son. No point in the boy dying when he was developing so well.

Sephiroth seized the life-giving orb, knowing that his and his friend's chance of surviving another day relied upon it. One-armed, he clumsily bandaged his wounds, then crawled over to the unconscious man, his own body growing weak from pain. He pushed Vincent so he was lying down, and laid with him, using the Cure on them both.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters  
**Pairing:** Future Sephiroth/Vincent  
**Author's note:** Ok, I am very sorry I haven't updated for so long! I have been very busy and struggling with my Nano, but I finally got ahead on that, and I can work on this! Next to update will be Crimson Raindrops, and then Year of Miracles. Thank you for your patience.  
**Warnings:** Mentions of earlier violence, including physical violence against children.

* * *

The boy sat in silence, stroking through the ebony hair of his companion. He stroked across the injury on Vincent's neck, feeling the slight bump where the cure hadn't healed it totally. He held Vincent's hand, noticing that the mark from the blade's penetration was now merely a thick scar rather than a gaping wound. He didn't want to permanently scar his only friend, but Vincent was already covered in marks he had made. He waited, smiling shyly to himself as Vincent's eyes opened.

"Hey…" Vincent murmured, eyes slowly focussing on the young boy. "You did well…" He closed his eyes for a moment as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, then opened them again, crimson meeting emerald for reassurance.

Sephiroth nodded, glad that his friend's pain seemed to have stopped. He lay forwards, resting his head on Vincent's chest, eyes glistening with tears.

"I… I didn't want to…." Vincent nodded slowly, stroking the other's hair. He knew he was lucky to do this, as no one else was even allowed to touch the silver cascade. Even Hojo, with his total power over the young boy, hesitated before running his fingers through the unnaturally brilliant locks. Vincent though, was allowed to touch them whenever he wanted, and the gentle way he ran his fingers across the hair, smoothing it and gently touching the younger man's scalp, seemed to soothe him.  
"It's alright Sephiroth, I know. It isn't your fault."

If anything, Vincent knew that it was his fault. He was the one who was expected to take care of the young child, and yet he had failed. He hadn't protected Sephiroth's mother, having been restrained in the labs when she died, and he hadn't stopped Sephiroth from being experimented on, both before and after the poor child's birth. He had wanted to help them both, but he hadn't managed, and for that failure he knew he deserved to be punished. That was why he accepted Hojo's maltreatment without complaint, why he rarely fought back against the experiments which threatened to rob him of the last remaining ounces of humanity. Still, Vincent could not bring himself to reveal this fact to the younger boy. He found it soothing when the child just believed in him; following him and holding him close after the fights. He felt torn, knowing on one hand that the boy had the right to know what kind of man he had put his faith in, and yet also knowing that Sephiroth desperately needed a friend he could trust, and he was the only friend this boy had in the whole world.

Sephiroth managed a shaky nod at Vincent's reassurance, then managed a genuine if small smile when Vincent's arms wrapped around him and he was lifted to lie on the other's chest, curled up against him. He reached out; grabbing a scrap of cloth from a pile of cut up bandages, and carefully used it to wipe away the congealing blood from Vincent's now mostly healed wounds, starting at the neck and then moving onto his chest, unable to reach the injury on his back as Vincent was laying on it. He smiled sleepily up at the other man.

Vincent felt his heart warming as he watched this child. He was the closest thing the boy had to a friend, and the only one who treated Sephiroth as a person. He had watched over the boy since the child had been born. He had listened helplessly to the child's sobs of pain in the night during his earliest years, and felt his heart break as the boy had slowly shut down, accepting the pain as his lot in life. Then on a whim, knowing how much the boy meant to Vincent, Hojo had allowed them to meet and talk, making sure they formed a close emotional bond before making Sephiroth fight him.

Initially these fighting sessions had simply been to try and distress the boy, as Hojo had hoped to traumatise him and prevent the forming of any future emotional attachments. However, as Sephiroth had grown stronger, Vincent's immortality made him the perfect sparring partner. And so they had fought, and Hojo had always believed that all Sephiroth gained from this was an understanding that even those you cared about could hurt you, and skill in fighting. He had never seen the aftermath, where Vincent held the child in his arms. He would never understand that these fights taught Sephiroth love.

This strange and at times brutal friendship had been the highlight of both their lives over the last two years. Vincent had been able to watch Sephiroth grow from a frightened and near mute four year old, to a boy of six who was more confident and trusting (at least with him). Sephiroth had been able to see his friend as unchanging, relieved that there was never any wound he could inflict that would permanently mark the older man, having witnessed even the most horrific of scars fading within a few weeks. It gave him a sense of certainty.

Vincent carefully removed the bloodied cloth from Sephiroth's hand, and then picked up the nearly useless cure, forcing the very last of the energy from it to heal Sephiroth's shoulder and the child's broken ribs. He slowly unwrapped the bandage and cleaned away the blood.

"There, much better now." His words were accompanied by a reassuring smile which made the other smaller figure relax. His hands continued with their pattern of gentle touches to Sephiroth's hair, taking a few breaths and waiting until the other was relaxed before asking his next question. He knew the boy never liked answering, and yet he also knew that it had to be asked. Not only because he needed to know, but also because it was a part of their routine, and Vincent wanted to give the child some sense of stability between the endless and ever changing patterns of torture and experiment. "What's been happening?"

The boy's eyes closed, and for a few moments he curled up on himself, not daring to say a word. That was another thing that always happened, the fact that he needed a few moment's to gather his thoughts and form words to begin to explain the torture.  
"He… hit me again, for trying to pull my hand out of the fire…" Sephiroth's voice was quieter than a whisper, and it was only because of his demon-enhancement that Vincent was able to hear him at all. The boy stared down at his once-again flawless skin, remembering the pain that had licked through him as his flesh had bubbled in the flames. "He says I have to be able to stop it hurting…" That wasn't possible, it hurt too much, but he didn't want to show Vincent that. "I fought and killed some more monsters, he says I am nearly the standard of a 3rd Class, and when I get there I will be allowed to spend a whole day with you. He promised." Vincent nodded, doubting that the promise would be kept, and yet not wanting to destroy the boy's hope by saying so. He stayed silent, petting the soft hair and letting the child continue. "Then I messed up in my Wutaian lesson, so I had to fight you…" His voice shook towards the end, and Vincent wrapped both of his arms tightly around the boy, thumb gently wiping away the tears before he kissed his forehead.

Vincent cuddled the boy gently, murmuring meaningless words of comfort. It wasn't as though he could do anything else. He couldn't even help with the boy's education, as he had never learnt a foreign language, and ShinRa demanded that Sephiroth be capable in every subject and fluent in all known languages. Vincent felt so helpless. The older man knew that he deserved punishment for the wrongs he had done, and yet this boy, though born of evil, was innocent. Sephiroth deserved none of it.

Sephiroth smiled in the warm arms, giggling at the gentle kiss to his forehead. He leant up and gently pecked Vincent on the cheek, wrapping his arms around him in a rare demonstration of the affection which Hojo hated him for showing.  
"So… What's been happening to you?" It was a break from their normal routine, where he was the one that needed comfort and reassurance, and yet he had noticed the pain and fear across Vincent's pale face when he had first opened that coffin. He wanted to help his friend, the same way that his friend always helped him.

Vincent shuddered a little, not wanting to answer. He thought of the sensation of burning blood that had filled his veins as Hojo injected him, and then remembered why those injections had taken place. In a moment of weakness, where he had forgotten about Sephiroth, forgotten that the child needed him to live, he had tried to destroy himself using a scalpel, dragging it along the soft and vulnerable skin of his arm. It hadn't worked, and now there was no physical sign of either that injury, or the torture he had endured after. There wasn't even a real mark from his and Sephiroth's fight, the bump on his neck would be gone in a couple of days, and the stab wounds in his back and ribs would be gone before the week was out. The scar on his hand would be gone by the end of the month. Deciding on an explanation, he spoke gently to the young child.

"I… I had a few tests, that's all."

Seemingly satisfied, Sephiroth patted Vincent's hair a few times before snuggling back against his chest, eyes closed. He relaxed in the soothing touches to his own long locks, soon slipping into sleep. After a few minutes of listening to the child's breathing, Vincent joined him.

After leaving the two of them alone for an hour to recover, Hojo unlocked and opened the door. His research had been going well, and he had mastered the art of permanently injuring the immortal man. His eyes went wide at the sight of the two of them on the floor, Vincent's left arm buried in Sephiroth's hair.

His mouth twisted into a smirk as he decided on the forfeit.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Updating again! I missed writing this. Happy Christmas if you celebrate it, even though this is far from Christmassy! Also, if you like this please review, so I'll know it's being read and will continue writing.  
**Warnings:** Violence, torture and cruelty.

* * *

Hojo stood still for a few more moments, watching the way they rested, looking eerily contented. No signs of earlier injuries and wounds, and instead the two of them were cuddled together, Vincent's left arm stroking those silver locks that even he could not persuade the boy to let him touch.

He coughed slightly, smirking as the boy jumped at the noise, eyes wide as he saw Hojo standing there. He couldn't resist a smirk as he watched the child's fear, and the way the boy tried to hide the affection he had just been showing. The man's eyes had opened and he glared up, red eyes blazing with anger.

Hojo shrugged, flicking the scalpel around in his fingers. Vincent might hate him, but they both knew he was totally powerless compared to the scientist.

"I have decided on the forfeit for your loss earlier." With that he signalled for them both to follow him into another lab.

He strapped the adult's left arm down onto one of the tables, turning away and murmuring to himself as he shuffled around bottles and containers of different solutions, creating the mixture he would need. Sephiroth moved closer to Vincent, nuzzling against his free hand, trying not to shake in fear. He didn't know what was going to happen. Vincent gently ruffled the silver locks, giving a fake smile. It seemed to reassure the boy, but he moved away when the scientist turned around. He didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"Here boy!" Hojo called out, smiling as the child walked over. He handed over two black gloves. The boy was meant to wear them when in ceremonial dress, but they made writing more difficult so he really bothered. Sephiroth slipped the gloves on. "Put your fingers in the glass."

Sephiroth did so, shaking a little in concern that whatever this liquid it was it would hurt him. A strange smell filled the air, but he didn't feel any pain. He frowned as he placed the scent. It was burning leather, as though his gloves were on fire. He moved his fingers away when Hojo nodded, dipping them in the cooling water next to it to clean them.

Hojo handed Sephiroth a scalpel.  
"Here. You are to cut this…" He paused, drawing over Vincent's skin. First the Shinra logo over the back of the other's hand, then his own name. At the area closer to the elbow he wrote 'Sephiroth did this to me.' He turned to his son. "You see? Cut over it with the scalpel." The boy nodded and began his work, trying to make himself deaf to the occasional hiss of pain from the other man. The sooner he got the work done, the sooner it would be over. He kept the cuts relatively shallow, but deep enough that they wouldn't heal closed while he was still making the carving. His grip was firm and the cuts were clean, but tears trickled down his face. He could tell how hard Vincent was trying to mask the pain, and in a way that just made it worse. He was suffering, but trying to protect him from knowing that.

Eventually the complex pattern of cuts was completed and Sephiroth stepped away, shivering a little in concern. He hadn't wanted to do that, and now his friend was hurt. At least the forfeit was over. Hojo glanced over the cuts, smiling in pride. They were perfect.  
"Now Sephiroth, use your fingertips to smear the liquid into the cuts."

Sephiroth's eyes went wide, and he was about to shake his head when the other man stared at him. He looked down, cowering and giving in, walking over and picking up the jar, then dipping his glove back in the liquid. The smell of burning leather got heavier, making him cough slightly. He pressed a fingertip against the first cut, jerking away as the other screamed out in pain as the thick liquid burned into his skin, destroying its regenerating capacity on the places it touched. Sephiroth stared in horror at the wound, trembling.

"Carry on Sephiroth, all of them. It would have been you if you had lost, this is only fair." Sephiroth turned to Vincent, seeing the pain etched across his face, tears of pain and shame marked across his expression. Vincent stared into his eyes, silently willing him to understand. 'This isn't your fault Sephiroth. Just do it, or you'll get hurt too. Please don't get hurt.'

Awkwardly Sephiroth continued, trying to ignore the other's screams and thoughtless pleas. He tried not to care that the other was begging for the pain to stop. It didn't matter, it would be over soon. After almost an hour, he had to go slow to ensure that he didn't mess up. If he had done it wrong then Hojo might have made him repeat it on Vincent's other arm. Tears dripped onto the others burnt skin. Vincent had given up trying to communicate, it wasn't achieving anything, not when Sephiroth was too busy being upset with himself to listen.

"That will do. Sephiroth, go to your room." The boy whimpered and left the laboratory, leaving Vincent in pain, arm still strapped down on the table, acid still burning into his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings:** Hints of torture  
**Pairings:** Future Vincent/Sephiroth  
**AN:** Took me a while to think of what to do for this chapter, but I hope that you like the ideas.

* * *

Vincent hadn't heard from the boy since his arm was injured. That frightened him. The wounds stayed fresh, keeping him often in nearly blinding agony. After three weeks he was adjusting to the pain, and it was finally beginning to ease. Hojo had merely been monitoring it over the last few weeks, which had made life easier, but when he did so he talked.

Initially he had made it clear that Sephiroth's absence was a self-imposed punishment for hurting Vincent, and he had accepted it. Vincent didn't want the boy to see him in this pain. But recently Hojo had been dropping hints that something worse had happened. Vincent had picked up fragments of the scientist's ramblings, enough to be afraid. The latest test had gone badly wrong, and Sephiroth hadn't responded the way they had expected. When Hojo stormed in in a dreadful mood, Vincent prepared himself for the worst.

"If this doesn't sort itself out soon, I will terminate the experiment!" The scientist ranted. Years ago, this would have given Vincent hope, now it chilled him. He knew that when Hojo said experiment, he didn't mean the erroneous test. He meant the boy.

The next day, Vincent got lucky. Hojo entered the cell, a bundle of blankets in his arms which he dropped to the floor, ignoring the soft whimper which rose from them.  
"You have one day Turk. If by the end of it he isn't able and ready to return to normal classes, he will be destroyed." Hojo aimed a kick at the bundle, but brought it back at the last moment, and strode from the room. Vincent picked up the bundle, cuddling it gently and preparing himself for the worst.

He peeled back the blankets, flinching when he was confronted by smears of blood across pale skin. The rest of his movements were even gentler, slowly revealing the front of the small boy, his emerald eyes shining with fear and agony. His normal uniform was missing, replaced by a pair of black trousers. Vincent took this as a hint that he had been being experimented on. The blood was worse at the top of his chest and across his sides, and the blankets against his back seemed to be stuck in place.

Vincent sighed, questioning the sanitation of this. If the boy got infected then it could get a lot worse.  
"I am sorry Sephiroth, this will hurt…" He looked away from those pitiful eyes as he removed the blanket, gasping at what was revealed. A handful of black feathers fell onto his lap, soft and delicate. He stared at the mess of feathers and blood against the boy's back, taking him over to the sink, and slowly washing him clean with lukewarm water. He didn't allow himself to think of what he was seeing, focussing just on completing the task as painlessly as possible. Only when the water ran clear and all the blood was gone did he allow himself to think.

Sitting on the edge of the sink, swinging his feet and looking down self consciously, was the boy he always looked after. Only now there was one minor addition to his looks. Alongside the normal silver hair and innocent green eyes, there was something new. Vincent helped Sephiroth to his feet, spinning him slowly. It was a wing, pressed hard against his back. Sephiroth stared up at him curiously, and when Vincent nodded, straightened it, face screwing up a little in pain.

The boy bit at his lip.  
"It hurts…" Vincent nodded, thinking of all the blood he had washed away.  
"I know it does."  
Sephiroth paused a little longer, looking down and deep in thought.  
"Vincent… I… I am sorry that I hurt you. Could this make up for it?" His voice shook and his face coloured as he spoke, his childish mind hoping that it would be seen as an adequate substitute.

Vincent nodded slowly, stroking a hand over the single wing.  
"It more than makes up for it Sephiroth. I forgive you. I never blamed you, and now I hope you will forgive yourself." Sephiroth nodded, tears running down his face as the wing brushed Vincent's wounded arm.

One corner of Vincent's mouth twisted up into a smile, and he picked up the boy, balancing him on his hip.  
"So, how are you going to fly with one wing then? Won't you just go around in circles?" Suddenly Sephiroth began to giggle, and soon he was laughing, clinging around Vincent's waist, beginning to slowly flex his wing.

The two of them span around, smiling and laughing for the first time in weeks, before they eventually calmed down, sitting together on an examination table, the reassuring feeling between them allowing Sephiroth to explain the procedure that had led to the wing. He explained the tortures and experiments, the way it was hailed as a success, and then as a failure, the pain blinding him and paralysing him every time he tried to retract it. He was getting more and more distressed, until Hojo had given up and dumped him here. Vincent held him, trying to chase the pain away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Pairing:** Vincent/Sephiroth  
**AN:** With what I've already written I decided against following along the actual story of the game, and this is going to branch in another direction during the Niebelhiem incident. Thank you for your reviews, you guys are the reason I keep writing, and I really appreciate it! Sorry I was a little late to update, I've had exams.

* * *

It was a long time later when Hojo returned, and had they been able to see the sky they would have known that it was dark. Sephiroth had fallen asleep on Vincent's human arm, his small head resting on Vincent's shoulder, wing wrapped around them both. Vincent was asleep as well, head resting on Sephiroth's, their silver and black hair flowing together into a cascade of warmth, binding the two sleeping figures together.

Hojo stared at them in disgust, lips drawing back in revulsion. At least the boy seemed to have adjusted to his wing, which was a relief. It would have been a waste to have him put down. There had been a lot of work put in to creating the young boy, and it was hoped that he would go on to become a great warrior. He walked over, hand straying out to linger over the black feathers, provoking a shiver and yawn from the smaller figure.

His hand clenched into a fist and he pulled out one, sighing as the boy jolted awake. They had needed a feather for analysis, and now that they had one he would know whether or not they could continue with the latest experiment. He looked in disdain at the way the boy cuddled closer to his other lab-rat, whose crimson eyes opened in concern, which turned to hatred when he caught sight of the scientist.

Sephiroth folded his wing back into his shoulder, stretching and turning to face him, closing his eyes as he stood before opening them to stare at the scientist, eyes glowing fiercely.  
"Hojo…" He murmured, bowing his head obediently. "I am alright now." As a demonstration he flinched slightly as he let his wing out, flapping it a few times to raise off the floor before sinking down again.

Hojo clicked his tongue, but smiled.  
"Well done Sephiroth. Come on, you have lessons." With that he turned and walked from the room, giving Vincent a chance to quickly embrace the child before giving him an encouraging push towards the door. Sephiroth looked back, leaning up to whisper in his ear.  
"I'll see you soon Vincent."

The older man nodded, gently stroking the soft silver hair.  
"I know… Good luck…" Sephiroth managed a weak smile before running from the room, not wanting to fall further behind.

After the successful introduction of the wing, Hojo increased the number of experiments, taking up more of the boy's time. His military training took a back seat, and when he did fight, he was more likely to battle third class SOLDIERS than Vincent. Still, he learnt quickly and soon met the level of the men he fought, though they were over three times his age.

Almost a year later the boy stood nervously in the battle arena which was used by the company for their demonstrations of military might. He was now eight years old, and had recently suffered a growth spurt which meant that his uniform was nearly outgrown. He tugged self-consciously at one of the sleeves, trying to get it to meet his glove, before using his sword to take a few practice swings. This battle was important to him. Hojo had told him that next week, Vincent would be moved to a different laboratory, and the meetings which the two of them had had twice a month for the last year would be curtailed. That was, unless Sephiroth could prove himself capable of defeating the opponents he would soon face. If he managed that, he would be allowed to spend a day with Vincent, and would be considered strong enough to leave Hojo's constant supervision, and therefore accompany the other man to his new base. If he failed, it would be another two years before he saw his only friend again. He bit his lip nervously, feeling the eyes of the President and other company executives upon him, and waited for the most important fight so far in his short life to begin.

Hojo watched the boy eagerly. He hoped that he would succeed, so he could show the President just how far the experiment had progressed. But if that didn't work, and the boy was required to stay here, he would be able to break the bond the boy shared with the other experiment, and that would strengthen him into becoming a better fighter.

The whistle sounded and the first opponent stepped forwards, a man of 25. Sephiroth looked up at him, frowning at the way he barely reached above the man's hips. He held out his double-bladed katana to defend himself, feeling a little defenceless compared to the blade the other one wielded. The other's sword was almost larger than he was, but he would have overbalanced had he attempted to use a larger weapon. A second whistle; and the battle began.

Sephiroth span, his shoulder-length silver hair fanning out behind him, drawing attention away from his calculating eyes. The tip of his pale pink tongue poked out from between his lips as he concentrated, working out what needed to be done and then beginning to move. He was far smaller than his opponent, and unable to exert so much strength in downward movements. Those were his weaknesses, but he was agile and quick, and those were strengths over the older opponent. He ran forwards, jumping up into the air and slashing at the other's shoulder.

The SOLDIER froze for a moment before wheeling around, hitting out and his sword cutting a section of Sephiroth's hair and indenting the other's neck. Sephiroth snarled slightly as the silver strands floated down to the ground, slamming the hilt of his sword up into the other's chest, smirking as he backed away coughing and clutching at his broken ribs. He looked up the President.

The President nodded, signalling for the injured man to be removed, and for the next opponent to take his place. Sephiroth didn't have any time to rest, and instead had to head straight into the next fight. This time he faced someone who was soon due for promotion to second class, and he was far more difficult to defeat than the first. Three times, Sephiroth had thought he had caught him, only for the man to lash out suddenly, knocking Sephiroth back and meaning that the boy had to throw himself to the side to stop a full on impact with the sword. By the end of this, he was out of breath, but he had realised the man's impact. He repeated his earlier movement, smiling a little as the man pushed him to the floor and swung. This time, he rolled towards, rather than away from the blade, and the man hesitated slightly, giving him a chance to thrust his katana into the other's leg. As he fell back in pain, Sephiroth stood, holding his head up, triumphant. He had completed two of the four fights that awaited him, and was so far undefeated. He smiled a little as the other man was carried from the arena, planning on what he would tell Vincent about the fights. He didn't want to worry him by describing it too violently.

The third man walked out, a Second Class SOLDIER, and the hardest of all four matches. In the distance lurked his fourth battle, another third, and designed to test his endurance rather than his skill. Sephiroth paused to wipe down his hands, and clean a few specks of blood from his hair, before taking his stance and mentally preparing himself for the next fight.

The whistle sounded and Sephiroth walked towards the other man. This one fought with a smaller sword, which would be easier for him to wield. That worried him a little. He nodded a little to acknowledge his opponent's presence and then continued towards him, katana raised. He stabbed out, only to have his movement parried by the other man, his double-bladed sword spinning from his hand and flinging across the room. He yelped, running after it. He picked it up, turning to face the other man. He caught a movement from the corner of his eye, but he didn't look. He had to stay focussed on this fight. He caught his breath, moving towards him. Suddenly he was lifted from his feet. He started to thrash, but his opponent ran forwards, digging his sword into Sephiroth's neck, glancing at the President.

Sephiroth ignored the pressure of the sword, straining against the arms around him, but fell limp as cheering broke out. He had lost. He bit his lips as he felt tears building up in his emerald eyes. The restraining hold let go, and he fell to the floor, wiping the blood from his neck. He glared at his opponent, and the man who he was meant to be fighting next. They had cheated, working together to defeat him.

The President chuckled, raising a hand and beckoning Sephiroth over.  
"Well done. You did very well, and I gladly offer you the status of Third Class SOLDIER." The young boy nodded gratefully, staring up at him.  
"Thank you Sir." He glanced at Hojo, hoping to be told that he would be able to see Vincent soon. The scientist shook his head, calling for Vincent to be taken to another base.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Thank you all for reading. There has been a large time skip, so Sephiroth is now 11 and Vincent is returning to the base.  
**Warnings:** None

* * *

The boy sat awkwardly on the medical table as the scientist he despised ran through their daily checks. The procedure took up almost an hour or so, and was conducted twice a day. It wasn't normally something that bothered him, as he had grown used to seeing needles in his arms, either adding more chemicals to his polluted blood or removing full syringes for more testing, and the physical examinations were nowhere near as gruelling as the combat training he did with the groups. There had been a lot of combat training recently.

He pushed a strand of silver hair out of his eyes, thinking through the moves he had been practicing the day before. He tried to still his racing heart. He was excited, but the last thing he needed was for Hojo to decide he wasn't fit enough to see the returned experiment. At times, the memory he had of Vincent was the only thing that had kept him strong, had kept him focussed. The idea of seeing his friend again was why he had fought so hard, why he had already reached the standard of First Class already, barely over a decade old.

A few reflex tests and the assistant stepped away, flashing a smile at the child before turning to Hojo.  
"Everything is fine." Hojo nodded, then turned to the boy and nodded. Sephiroth took a few deep breaths before standing up and making eye contact with the spectacled man in a lab coat. Another nod; and Sephiroth walked from the room, sprinting when he was out of the scientist's sight. He hurtled down the corridors, along the maze of passages which he had memorised from infancy.

He threw open the door of the final room, running to the coffin and lifting up the lid, ignoring the fact the door was still open. He threw himself at the sleeping figure, laughing as its eyes opened.  
"VINCENT!" He clung to the older man, who didn't seem so much bigger now. He was already at his shoulders. But whilst he had grown the other man had stayed the same, not ageing at all. He smiled. One day they'd be the same age, and he'd be able to look after Vincent like Vincent had always looked after him. That was a good thing.

Vincent gasped, eyes flicking open to show confused crimson. The last thing he remembered was being locked into the coffin, and now this. He opened his eyes, staring in surprise at the person clinging to them.  
"Sephiroth?" He whispered; voice hoarse. His arm was still in that metal shell, with the injuries that the boy had been forced to inflict still burnt into his skin. The green eyes met his and he knew. This was the same little boy that had looked after him, the one he had looked after. He wasn't a little boy any more though; he was one of the firsts. He'd done all he could to keep up with news of the scientist's prodigy, despite the difficulty, and had heard of each of his friend's successes. He hadn't expected him to look so grown up though, so strong. It was as though the little boy he had cared for all those years ago had simply disappeared.

Sephiroth nodded, nuzzling against him. Vincent sat up awkwardly, wrapping his mismatched arms around the younger boy. He was here, that was what mattered. Not the changes.  
"I missed you so much Vincent. It's been so long. I thought you had forgotten me." The croaky voice answered slowly.  
"I'd never forget you." Sephiroth beamed, clinging tightly.

Sephiroth knew he still had a couple of hours before he had to go to train, and during that time they talked about everything. Vincent's answers about his treatment were all lies, but Sephiroth understood why, the same as Vincent understood every time that Sephiroth lied. Not all of the words there were lies though; there had been some good things in that time for Sephiroth. He had done well, he had developed, and he had begun to get attention, be seen as famous, mentioned in magazines and on the television. ShinRa's top weapon. There were even whispers of the term 'hero'. The boy took a deep breath then continued.

"Heroes need wars. They are saying there's going to be a war, in Wutai. I'm going to command the troops." He closed his eyes, playing with his hair. He was frightened about that, being taken to a foreign country, having to lead men into battle, possibly to their deaths. He didn't want to kill them. He could tell Vincent understood when the older man's arms tightened their hold, making him feel safe.  
"You can do it Sephiroth. I know you can. I believe in you." The silver haired boy nodded slightly.

A week later, Sephiroth was bundled into the cattle truck. He edged away from the older men, not being one of them. His fragile frame was the opposite of their bulky scars. He patted the bench he was sat on, which was actually Vincent's coffin. Vincent had been stowed away to accompany him. The ex-Turk was a skilled sniper, with a talent that far surpassed that of any of the current men, and so he was going to be used to teach Sephiroth. Only the best for the culmination of all those experiments.

He watched the scenery rolling past, wondering about the fate of the men before him. He wondered if they would listen to him, he was only a child. A mutiny was the last thing which he would need; it could make the situation so much worse. Unused to being outside for more than a couple of hours, he watched as the sky changed colour and darkness fell, still keeping his protective perch on the coffin. Eventually he became exhausted and fell asleep, curled up on the lid of his friend's prison.

After two days of travelling, they reached camp. Sephiroth slept on the floor of the scientist's tent before the battles began so he could receive the last of his training, the coffin nearby but locked. It made him feel safer, and he murmured to it whenever he could, pretending Vincent could hear and understand.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Sorry I haven't updated recently, real life has been very busy, but it's alright now. If you could review with any suggestions it would be very much appreciated.

* * *

The boy stretched in the early morning light, the cascade of silver hair running down over his shoulders and glittering damp with dew. Sephiroth shivered slightly, it was freezing, but he tried not to let it show. That wasn't professional. So instead he acted as though he was natural and calm, relaxed. The leader he was expected to be.

Hojo walked out of his tent after Sephiroth had been training for an hour, obviously still nearly asleep.  
"Sephiroth?" The boy looked up at the scientist, curious. "Today you are going to be practicing your rifle use. I am worried that you are not as skilled as you should be." Sephiroth opened his mouth to apologise but stopped as Hojo continued. "Luckily we have arranged for you to have a tutor. You have ten minutes to get ready, then head over to the rifle range." The rifle range was set up a little way from the tents, to allow any of the more skittish SOLDIER to get in a few more practices before the battle.

Sephiroth nodded. Though he favoured his sword, a double bladed katana, he was beginning to outgrow it. He planned to have a longer sword created, but whilst he waited he could use some rifle practice.

He walked over to the rifle range, shocked at what he found there. Four of the SOLDIER were there, standing guard over Hojo and another man. He was able to pick out the details of his tangled black hair and crimson eyes. He speeded up but didn't run. To run would be to show weakness. So he walked over, and stood before Hojo, managing a very small smile at Vincent. It was Hojo that spoke.

"Valentine here is a particularly skilled sniper." Sephiroth nodded, pleased as he realised where this conversation was going. "He is going to help you practice. These four will be supervising you." Sephiroth nodded again, watching as the scientist left before going to stand beside Vincent, taking up one of the rifles. Vincent carefully adjusted the youngster's hold, demonstrating how to aim.

Vincent was glad to have any contact with the boy, to have a chance to reassure and comfort him. Sephiroth relaxed at the touch, smiling up at him. It felt good to be held, to be touched with concern for a reason more than that he was a precious experiment and sample, and had to be treated as such.  
"I missed you…" Vincent murmured against the other's ear, adjusting his hold. Sephiroth nodded.  
"And I you." He answered, taking a shot. His aim had improved. He smiled slightly, continuing the practice, not saying anything more than questions about the exercise to Vincent, but just enjoying the contact.

After almost an hour Hojo approached.  
"Alright, Sephiroth…" He watched as the other male fired off a couple of shots. "You have improved. Well done. The battle is about to commence, you are to head over to the men, and Valentine you are to return to your coffin." Vincent nodded, letting the SOLDIER escort him to the tent, and laying back down in his coffin. There was no point in arguing or trying to resist.

Sephiroth fetched his katana, practicing his movements before taking his place at the front of the ranks. He glanced around, seeing the men on either side of him. He was responsible for them, and he had to do what he could. The rebels were nearby, and the plan was to advance and find them. He listened as the troops were organised, before raising his katana to signal to his men to advance. He broke into a sprint.

There were bullets flying all around him. It was so much more real than the simulators. He rose his katana, deflecting the bullets as he advanced. The blood stung in his ears and he could feel his pulse race. He saw someone in the distance crumple. He kept running. Panting in air. He had to get there. Had to kill the rebels. Had to return to Vincent. He was ahead of the crowd. The guns turned on him.

He stumbled, falling to the ground in shock. He was afraid. He didn't want to die. Someone strong, a brown haired SOLDIER third class, ran beside him, sheltering him with his body. Sephiroth looked up, wanting to thank this stranger, and watched in horror as crimson blossomed on the brunette's forehead and he fell backwards, shot.

Sephiroth scrambled back, shaking a little, calling that which remained of his troops together. His group had got larger, because the commanders of the troops on either side had already fallen, but only two thirds of his initial squad had survived the initial wave and would be ready for the next surge.

"We will advance and take their stronghold." His voice was shaking slightly but he covered it well. He had never thought that a fight would be like this. But his entire young life had been the lead up to this moment, he couldn't fail them now. "When I start moving forwards, you are to follow me." He raised his sword, and it glinted in the sunlight. He took a deep breath before swinging it down and running forwards.

He could hear the roar of the SOLDIER behind him as he led the advance. They could do this, he could achieve a success. He ran, covering the distance faster even than the average SOLDIER. He was invincible, he was strong, he could do this. Something hit his shoulder and he gasped slightly but kept running, ignoring the slight pain. It might bruise, but he could deal with it later.

His mind was filled with the thrill of the hunt and the howl of the wounded. He was a spinning blade on the battlefield, leading his men to victory. Their opponents had no choice but to back down and run away, and even then many of them were captured. Finally it was over, and his heart was singing in his chest. This was what it meant to fight and win.

Now, he was able to look at his shoulder, and reality threatened to drown him as he realised the state which it was in. It was a mass of blood and broken bone, though the mako had gone some way to soothing the pain. Glinting within it was the gunmetal of a cold bullet. With this realisation, it began to hurt, and his eyes watered slightly. He wanted to cry. What if he was damaged beyond repair? Then he would lose all chance at ever helping Vincent, of ever being more than a simple experiment. He held his wounded arm, watching with blind eyes as others noticed his state. He let them lead him back to the camp, panicking slightly. He wasn't afraid of pain, just the consequences of injury.

"You let yourself be injured?" Hojo asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance. The boy closed his eyes and nodded. "We will have to remove that bullet tonight." Sephiroth nodded again, trying not to show any concern.  
"Can it be healed?" He asked. Hojo frowned, examining the wound again.  
"Yes. I see you succeeded in your mission. Well done."

Sephiroth beamed at the slight praise. Hojo nodded, gently stroking his hair. Sephiroth flinched a little at this. He didn't like his hair being touched. He let Hojo lead him back to the camp.  
"Stay there."

He nodded and stayed still, sitting on the bench and waiting. Hojo would return soon, and would heal his wound. That would make it better. After a few minutes, he returned, with a figure behind him. Sephiroth's face lit up in delight as he recognised the other man. It was Vincent. He tried to remain calm as Hojo instructed the other man to hold him as the scientist delicately removed the bullet. The tenderness wasn't out of concern for Sephiroth, but from a desire to ensure that he wasn't damaged. When it was out the wound was bandaged and cured.

"You two may stay here for tonight." With that Hojo left, leaving Sephiroth curled up in Vincent's arms.

"You did well." Vincent murmured.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Another update! I hope you're enjoying it. There will be a big time skip after this chapter, so the plot will speed up. Thank you for all your reviews and encouragement!  
**Warnings:** Shameless fluff, language and violence.

Sephiroth looked up at him shyly. He was still in pain, even though the bullet wound had mainly be cured. He felt exhausted as he gazed into those deep crimson eyes.  
"I did well?"  
Vincent nodded, pulling the young boy closer, stroking his hair to try and reassure him.  
"You did very well, you lead the troops perfectly."

Sephiroth looked away, nearly in tears.  
"I… they were dying, and I couldn't help, I couldn't think. They were relying on me and I failed them." Vincent sighed and stroked his hair.  
"You're right. There was nothing you could have done. You won. You lead your troops to victory."  
Sephiroth nodded.  
"It felt good. To fight, to feel like you were winning and to see the blood of your enemies. It's what I am meant to do. But then I got hurt. I failed."

Vincent sighed, rocking Sephiroth slightly in his arms.  
"You did well." He hated hearing how much his innocent friend had enjoyed causing pain, how the child had felt he was fulfilling the role he was born for. It wasn't how he wanted this child to be, he didn't want to watch the innocence that was such an important part of him being destroyed. Sephiroth beamed up at him, reassured.

"I should sleep." The boy murmured, not wanting to make his injury worse by not giving it a chance to heal.

Vincent nodded and closed his eyes, stroking the child's hair.  
"Yes, Sephiroth." He sighed. "Get some sleep, relax." The mission was nearly over, and if this continued then soon they would be able to return home. He hoped they could stay together. That was what he wanted. To be able to hold the small child, to comfort him and offer him sanctuary, without having to worry about the scientists and their horrific tortures. He was all the child had and he didn't want to fail him.

Sephiroth smiled, curling up closer but stroking the other's dark hair.  
"You will stay here?" He whispered. He wanted to sleep, and he could sleep best if he was held within Vincent's arms, so that reassurances and comforts could be whispered in his ear throughout the night. Vincent nodded and Sephiroth held him tighter, smiling a little. "Thank you." He whispered, blushing a little as he continued. "I feel safe when I'm with you." He knew it was wrong. He was one of ShinRa's heroes, the most feared warrior in Gaia. He was infamous. He should not be relying on another person for comfort, especially when that person was nothing more than a prisoner. He couldn't help it.

Vincent smiled back.  
"I am glad I could help. And Sephiroth? Everyone needs comfort sometimes." The boy's eyes widened, shocked that the other was able to tell what he had been thinking even when he had not voiced it, but he nodded and nuzzled closer, taking some of Vincent's dark hair, and plaiting it with his own silver locks. He smiled at the effect which was produced. It looked perfect. Elegant silvered ebony to remind him that he was loved, to remind them both that they weren't alone. They had each other, now and forever. Vincent raised his clawed had and undid the braid, laughing slightly.

Sephiroth cuddled up closer to him, tilting his head to look at him.  
"One day Vincent, I'm going to escape from him. Then I'll come and find you and I will save you and we will be happy and we can stay together. We won't need to worry or be afraid. We'll live together and be happy and there won't be anything you ever want because I will get you everything you could need." Vincent smiled at that, stroking the boy's hair.  
"I know you will." Sephiroth yawned slightly and looked up at him with devotion, thrilled with the trust which the other had demonstrated towards him. It was a comfort and what he had spoken was true, what he had planned. With that, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep.

Vincent stayed awake to watch, stroking his human fingers through the other's hair and trying not to think of the injuries which they had both suffered, trying instead to focus on the positives, what had been achieved. Sephiroth's dreams were filled with ideas for the future, of the life they would live together and how happy they could be. There were no nightmares, not now, not when Vincent was there to offer security and comfort.

As the early rays of morning light filtered into their tent, Sephiroth's eyes opened and he stared up at Vincent. Vincent looked back at him.  
"See, I'm still here." Sephiroth nodded, comforted and reassured, pulling the other closer and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.  
"Good morning Vincent!" Vincent ruffled his hair. The two of them laid together for a few moments, resting and just enjoying each other's company, in a safe silence which needed no words to express.

Then the doctor returned. He frowned slightly, this was wrong. The two of them weren't meant to be close. Sephiroth had been trained not to need anyone; he shouldn't care, not even one person, certainly not for someone who was barely human, an experiment. He pulled them apart and Vincent relinquished his hold. The scientist shook the boy viciously, yelling at him.  
"You can't love anyone! You can't have friends, and you can't hold someone like that! It's wrong!" He slapped him hard, shaking him again. "I am trying to help you, to make you perfect. If it wasn't for him you wouldn't have been hurt yesterday!" Sephiroth whimpered and nodded, feeling weak and afraid. He didn't know what else he could do. Hojo was right of course, Hojo was always right. He shouldn't be doing that.

Hojo dragged Sephiroth from the room, and later Vincent was bundled back into the coffin. He was taken back to Niebelheim on the first transport, and stayed locked in their for the next thirteen years, whilst Sephiroth grew up alone to become ShinRa's silver general, the world's hero.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Another update, thank you for all your reviews and support! Hope you all are well! This chapter brings a rather large diversion from the timeline of the game, but it also has a reunion, so I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Sephiroth strolled through the town. He was here, a hero. A warrior, with the ShinRa company's acclaim. He was worshipped, every girl wanted to date him, and every boy wanted to be him. One of those boys who wanted nothing more than to be him was walking along beside him. Cloud glanced up towards the General shyly.

Sephiroth merely nodded in acknowledgement, and Zack, bouncing along on his other side, laughed.  
"Sephiroth, just be more friendly, you're terrifying the poor kid." Sephiroth didn't bother to answer, there wasn't one needed. Zack knew that in his own quiet way, he counted both Cloud and Zack amongst his few friends. Zack embraced his shoulders with a smirk, reaching and pretending to mess up the other's hair. He wouldn't do it really though, he knew Sephiroth would get angry and hit him if he even tried to really touch his hair.

Sephiroth snarled, pushing him away. He wasn't in the mood right now for games. He continued walking, moving away from the other two. Zack chased after him, an over-enthusiastic puppy as always.  
"Seph..." He turned to deliver a slight glare at the name. Zack ran after him, but was stopped by the small cadet's arm on his shoulder.  
"Let him go. He needs some time alone." Zack nodded, embracing their small blonde companion. Cloud was right. Sephiroth might have been their friend but he was still far more private than the over-enthusiastic captain, or the bubbly if nervous cadet.

Cloud sighed.  
"Come on, we can go back to the camp and wait, make sure he has some food." Zack nodded, running with Cloud back towards the camp.

Sephiroth strode away. He raised his hand, stroking at his head. It stung, he could barely think, barely concentrate. The pain had been building since he had arrived at Niebelhiem, but now it was worse. He leant against a wall, forehead resting against it, and only his training stopping him from crying out in pain. He looked down at the floor, biting his lip as a slight hiss escaped him.

"_My son_...." He looked around, confused. He could hear something, someone. He whimpered.  
"Who is there?" There was no one around, all the locals were already in bed for the night. The voice continued.  
"_My son, don't worry. It is alright, I am here now, we can be great again_." He clutched at his head, dashing his skull against the wall. It made his scalp grow damp with blood, but the voice just got louder. "_It's alright my son. I am here, you are safe_." He moved away, wiping the blood from his forehead, feeling his mako heal the wounds. He tried to ignore the voice, but the next phrase left him stunned. "_You are loved_."

He wasn't loved. Never would be. He had been once, just once, but he could barely remember that now. He was alone, unloved and uncared for, and no one would love him. The voice still continued.  
"_You can be loved. I love you my son_." Sephiroth started to walk, to try and understand what was going on. As he headed towards the reactor, the voice got louder. He shook his head, trying to free himself of that haunting voice. "_You will be mine. We can rule the world_."

He gasped in terror, and turned away from the reactor. He began to sprint towards another building, away from the voice that was slowly poisoning him. He frowned at the mansion looming ahead of him. He remembered what Cloud had said about this house being haunted. Hopefully there would be some monsters in here, something that he could fight to try and silence the words in his mind.

He broke open the old door, the lock long since rotten. He walked inside, feet seeming to guide him. He just walked, not thinking of where he was going. At least while in this manor he was safe from the voice, it was quieter now. He walked further inside, past a library which he ignored. His hand reached out, and pressed, and a secret passageway emerged. He didn't stop to think but walked down it, curious as to where it would lead. He walked slowly, hearing his footsteps echoing around him. He paused outside a door. Something told him that this was what he had come here for, what had drawn him over.

He broke open the door, looking around curiously. The room was deserted, aside from a full-length coffin in the centre of the room. He walked closer, a slight smile on his face. He remembered this coffin, even though he didn't quite know why. He crouched down beside it, forcing open the lid.

Laying in the coffin, eyes closed in repose, there was that man. The man who had loved him, the one who had taught him that it was alright and shown him what it was like to have a friend, to be comforted, to be loved. He placed a hand on his shoulder, the way he always had done when trying to wake him as a child.

Vincent's crimson eyes snapped open and stared up at him curiously, wondering who it was that dared to disturb his slumber. He opened his mouth to criticise him, to warn him away, but then something registered. His mouth hung open for a second before forming a single word.  
"Sephiroth?" He had hoped it would be him, even though he couldn't imagine it would be. The boy had been lost forever. He had no idea how long it had been since they said goodbye, yet the eyes were still the same. His little angel had grown up.

Eyes threatening tears, Sephiroth nodded.

Vincent sat up, wrapped his arms around Sephiroth, and Sephiroth held him back, stroking his metallic arm. Sephiroth gazed up at the other man, opening his mouth to speak. He had dreamed of this reunion for so long, but the voice was still getting louder, blocking his thoughts.  
"Vincent? How have you been?"

Vincent paused before replying, not knowing what to say. He could hardly believe this could be real. Sephiroth wasn't a child any more, he would understand what he was saying, and would be more certain than ever if what he said was a lie. Yet he still lied, to try and reassure his friend, to give the comfort that he had been unable to provide for so many years. He had missed him.  
"I have been alright. Resting mainly. Yourself?"

Sephiroth doubted that Vincent's reassurances were true, but was currently plagued by other problems. He took a deep breath and then explained, hoping he wasn't going to frighten away his first friend.  
"I have been doing well, I rose to be ShinRa's general, a hero just like you promised, but something has gone wrong. I can hear a voice in my head, it's been here since we arrived. It is calling me their son, promising me love, saying we can rule the world together. It wants to control me and I can't stop it."

Vincent stroked his human hand gently down Sephiroth's spine. He tried to work out what he could say, how he could help. Maybe this was it, his final chance at redemption after so many years of hell. A chance, no matter how small, that he could one day receive forgiveness. A way of helping the young boy he could never fully protect.  
"Stay here. I'll find an answer, we'll be alright."

Sephiroth shook his head, trying to find a better solution.  
"There's a SOLDIER camp in the woods. Two of the men there… The cadet Strife and Zack, he's a first class and a captain. They would help, and Cloud knows a lot about this village. He was raised here." Vincent nodded. They should be brought here. He did not want to leave this manor, his coffin, but he would for Sephiroth. For Sephiroth he would risk everything, even the few remaining shreds of his humanity.  
"Stay here. Do not leave this place." His human hand squeezed one of Sephiroth's, before he took on his cloaked form and left the room.

Sephiroth leant back against the coffin and waited, hoping that they would arrive in time to save him.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Sorry for the slight delay, been having to revise a lot for my forthcoming exams. Still, I hope you forgive me!  
**Warnings:** Bad language, Zack.  
**Disclaimer:** Characters © Squeenix

* * *

Cloud sighed, glancing over at Zack. Well that was just typical. Zack was leant back against a tree-trunk, relaxing, flicking a coin between his fingers. Cloud was stuck with cooking dinner, pushing the sausages around the frying pan. At least Zack had helped a little with putting up the tent.  
"He'll be back soon Zack?"  
Zack grinned and nodded rapidly.  
"Oh he'll be fine kid, don't worry your fluffy little chocobo head about it." Cloud pouted slightly and opened his mouth to protest, but Zack just grinned at him. "You are a chocobo Spike."

Cloud frowned and turned back to his cooking. A blood red shadow watched from a tree, smiling slightly. These were the ones he was looking for. The cadet and the Captain. Even in this time of crisis, he was relieved that Sephiroth had found himself such good friends. He smiled as the cadet continued.  
"But I'm worried about him. It's not like him to be like that." Zack nodded.  
"I know Spike. But we'll be there for him." Vincent took that as the permission he needed.

The red cloaked man dove forwards, transforming into the red crimson which moved around the camp, pausing for a split second in front of Zack. As Zack reached out to grab it, it jumped from his grasp, and moved instead to hovering before Cloud. Zack reached for his sword, unsure what this creature was, but slowly becoming certain that it was a monster. Cloud watched the fast moving swathe of red in fascination, before getting swept up in it.

"Oh Fuck!"  
Zack swore in frustration and fear, grabbing his sword and chasing the red shadow, which was now headed towards the ShinRa manor. Cloud had mentioned that there were ghosts there, and now one of them had captured the young cadet. The shape stayed just beyond Zack's reach as he vaulted the broken wall, not caring about the danger he was putting himself in. His focus had to be on getting Cloud, saving him from the monster that now had him in his grasp.

Cloud was aware of none of this, surrounded by a red fog. It was not an unpleasant sensation, and had it not been for the fact that he was disorientated, he would have not minded the experience. As it was, his hands scrambled, desperately seeking some purchase, to stop the fog from being able to drop him to his death. Zack and Sephiroth needed him.

Zack chased the demonic shadow into the manor, with only the shortest of glances around to see whether or not there was anyone there. This couldn't be a trap, ShinRa had no enemies here, and the village was peaceful. His main concern was catching up with Cloud. He felt more nervous as it headed down into the cellar, beginning to wonder if there was a nest of these creatures down there, waiting to devour their prey. His breath speeded up, but he continued heading towards the red creature. It turned into a laboratory.

Zack held his sword in front of him and ran, expecting to be faced with a scene of horror. What he found was shocking, but in no way horrible. Cloud was sat beside Sephiroth, who had a comforting arm around his shoulder. Cloud didn't look frightened, though was still struggling to catch his breath. It took Zack a few moments to register the third person in the room, dressed in black but with a red cloak the same as the fog which had captured his friend. He turned towards him, sword raised.

"It's alright Zack." Sephiroth spoke, and Zack put his sword away. He trusted Sephiroth, believed his judgement. If he said that this was safe, it was safe. "Come over here." Before he had even realised, Zack was sat on Cloud's other side, pulling the blonde against him and stroking his hair. "He's a friend."

"He kidnapped Cloud!" Zack shot back, indignant, only to be stopped by Sephiroth's reply.  
"I asked him to." It took a few moments for the meaning to sink in, but then Zack looked at him with a mixture of anger and curiosity.  
"Why?"

Sephiroth looked down, hoping for the strength to explain this to them. He never spoke about his past or the scientists; had never mentioned Vincent. His focus had solely been on his own survival and achievement. Now it was time for that to change. A gauntleted hand fell on his shoulder, and he knew that he was ready.  
"Zack, I had to get you both here. Somewhere private, where we will not be over heard. I asked Vincent to fetch the two of you for me and he did, even if it was in a somewhat unconventional manner."

Zack glared slightly, whilst Cloud clutched at him, just to reassure himself it was real. At least he had caught his breath back now.  
"That doesn't explain why you had to talk to us." Cloud nodded, straightening himself, awaiting the answer. It took a few moments before Sephiroth was able to speak.

"When I was a child, I was an experiment for Hojo. I had a far from traditional childhood." He shivered as memories of shocks and fire ran through him, making his body feel as though it were aflame. "Throughout it all, Vincent was my only friend. I was made to fight and injure him, but the whole time he protected me, gave me comfort." Seeing the other's confusion, Vincent took his turn to speak.  
"Sephiroth is telling the truth. I was the same age as I am now, due to what Hojo did to me, but Sephiroth was only a small child. I did what I could to protect him."

Zack smiled at Cloud, realising that they weren't in any danger.  
"Okay, I get it, so you two just met and you're happy. But why here? Why not at the camp?" He looked at the stranger. "Are you in trouble with ShinRa?" Vincent shook his head, and Sephiroth took his chance to speak, to continue the story.  
"Vincent is registered as dead and is not in trouble. I am the one who is potentially faced with difficulty. I fear that Hojo aims to continue the experiments. As I arrived here, I could hear a voice in my mind, promising me love in exchange for destroying this village and taking over the planet. It was overwhelming. If not for Vincent, none of you would be alive now."

"Well that's not exactly comforting!" Zack yelled, eyes glittering slightly with anger. He trusted Sephiroth, believed in him, and now Sephiroth was saying that if not for this un-ageing and down-right creepy newcomer, they would all be dead. He felt worse when he realised that he, Cloud and Sephiroth were sat on a coffin.

Sephiroth stared at him then looked away, biting his lip. It took a few moments for him to be able to order his thoughts into words, to explain the way that he felt and what had happened.  
"Zack, other than Vincent, I never knew love. I did what I could to please Hojo and the other scientists, they were the only family I had, but it was never enough. I never got praised, and I was regularly subjected to battle-field wounds from guns and swords to see how well I recovered. By the scientists, on ShinRa's orders. If Vincent wasn't looking after me, I would have been driven insane long ago."

Zack could feel his fury still bubbling inside him, but he was stopped from expressing it by Cloud. Cloud had both his hands clasped over his mouth, gasping in horror. The young blonde reached over and hugged Sephiroth, then looked shocked at what he had done and jumped away, murmuring apologies. Zack pulled Cloud closer, nuzzling him.  
"It's okay Cloud."  
"It's not okay Zack! He got hurt so badly and we didn't know…" A few tears threatened in Cloud's eyes. Zack rocked the younger cadet, whilst Vincent put his arms around Sephiroth's shoulders.

The four of them remained like that for a few moments, seeking comfort in each other's arms. Then Zack looked up, into Sephiroth's eyes, and spoke with total seriousness.  
"Sephiroth. I swear they will pay for doing that to you."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** Sorry for slight delay, but now updates should be more frequent! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very exciting, but more is planned for the future. Thank you for understanding. Reviews are loved.  
**Warnings:** Language

* * *

Sephiroth smiled at Zack, feeling confident for the first time in a long while. He was loved, he had friends, and he could rely on them to save him. They wouldn't let him suffer. He nodded.  
"Yes. They will regret what they did."

Cloud looked up nervously, clinging to Zack's hand. He bit his lip, then whimpered, glancing up to look around the others, then he lowered his head again. He opened and closed his mouth for a few moments, leaning against his friend, before looking up to speak.  
"I'm sorry Sir… that shouldn't have happened."  
"No. It shouldn't have Strife, but it happened, and now I'm alright. Vincent kept me alive, he saved me again today. Now we can focus on making those who did this pay." Sephiroth's voice was gentle, even as he spoke of revenge. He could see that the cadet was frightened, and he wanted to reassure him.

Cloud nodded slowly, grasping one of Zack's hands within both of his for reassurance. He looked up at his friend and mentor, relying on him to tell him how they could do this, how they could protect Sephiroth and gain the revenge that he needed. Zack paused, resting his head forwards onto soft blonde spikes as he thought.

"Sephiroth, we can't stay here." Zack murmured into the yellow strands. It was too dangerous if Sephiroth was still hearing those voices, and anyway, if they stayed here, ShinRa would send more troops to explore. "We have to go back." He didn't know whether or not that creepy scientist had wanted for Sephiroth to hear that voice, but it was the only way they could find out.

Sephiroth nodded, burying the slight twinge of fear he felt deep down inside. He didn't feel fear, not any more, he'd outgrown such childish ideas. Vincent pulled him close back against him and he let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Vincent paused, thinking through their options before taking his chance to speak.  
"We could return to Midgar. Sephiroth, you have to challenge Hojo first, in order to find out if what happened was intentional. Then you can deal with the rest of the company."

Sephiroth nodded, while Zack stared wide eyed.  
"So here you can have a sensible conversation, when you just had to kidnap Cloud to get my attention? That's just rude!" Vincent smiled and inclined his head slightly.  
"I am sorry."  
"So you bloody well should be…" Zack murmured, head nuzzling against Cloud to show his irritation. Cloud reached back and patted the dark spikes.

Cloud frowned slightly.  
"If you are going to confront Hojo… I guess that means you three… I don't have any medical inspections." He wasn't enhanced like his two SOLDIER friends or this un-ageing man, so he wouldn't have any role to play. Like always, he would be rendered just a side-kick to what was Zack's adventure.

Sephiroth glanced over at the cadet, and seemed to understand what was wrong.  
"Yes Strife. The three of us will need inspections. That means that we will be practically defenceless. We'll be depending on you to ensure that Hojo, if he meant for this to happen, doesn't call for backup." Cloud looked up at him, wondering if it was just being said to comfort him, but then realised that it did indeed make sense, and that a guard would be needed.  
"I'll do what I can sir."

Sephiroth paused, then looked around at the three other men.  
"Strife… Cloud, you can call me Sephiroth. If you're going to help me, then I at least owe you that." He smiled slightly at the shocked look on the other's face.  
"Thank you sir … Sephiroth …" Cloud murmured, unable to look into his eyes.

"Come on guys, we've got stuff that we need to get done…" Zack called, interrupting the other two. He could tell that Cloud felt embarrassed, and wanted to stop the awkwardness.

Vincent held onto Sephiroth as they left the labs. It had been a long time since he had been out of the coffin, and he found moving difficult. Sephiroth wrapped an arm around his waist to prop him up, and Vincent relied on him to support his weight. Zack lead the way out, his buster sword drawn, with Cloud following a little behind. At the back of the group were Vincent and Sephiroth.

As they stepped up into the sunlight, Vincent flinched. He couldn't see anything, the light was so bright, blinding, something he hadn't seen for over fifteen years. Sephiroth placed his hand over Vincent's eyes, giving him time to recover.

Zack led the way to camp. Sephiroth had moved to merely using one of his hands to support Vincent, and handed him over to Cloud, so that he could walk at the front. He strolled into the camp, raising his hands to block any questions about the strangely dressed newcomer. He headed straight to the centre, and raised his voice.

"Everyone, we are heading back to Midgar now. I have inspected the reactor." He could hear the voice inside his head, telling him that he was a good boy, that he could rule the world. He tried to ignore it, frowning slightly.  
"I want this camp packed up, and you guys ready to go, in twenty minutes." With that, he turned and headed for his tent, followed by the other three.

By the time the camp was packed up, Sephiroth had updated Vincent on the main events which had happened since the two of them had parted. Zack had been listening impatiently, but finally spoke out.  
"How are we going to explain him?" He asked, pointing at Vincent. "He said himself that he's considered dead, that's going to cause problems." Vincent looked down, but Sephiroth squeezed his hand.

"We'll just say he's someone from the village who needs to go and see ShinRa. Hojo will know, but by then…" Sephiroth's hand rested on the handle of his masamume. "He'll be paying the price for what he has done."

Vincent nodded, and Cloud put a reassuring hand on his arm.  
"I'll look after you on the journey, I know you won't be able to travel with the SOLDIER if they're saying that." Vincent nodded, gauntleted fingers stroking over Cloud's arm.  
"Thank you."

The journey back was uneventful, though Vincent panicked, constantly looking around in case there was some sudden attack. Cloud smiled, murmuring to him softly to reassure him. He kept telling him that it would be okay, even when he didn't believe it himself.

Eventually, the four stood at the door to the labs. Vincent was shifting awkwardly, afraid that he would soon be locked back in a coffin, while Sephiroth was tense. Though the voice had stopped now, he wasn't sure what he was stepping into, or whether he might find himself out of his depth. Even Zack was concerned, knowing how close Sephiroth had got to destroying them all. Cloud was worried, but remaining calm. He smiled at the three older men, and embraced Zack tightly.  
"I know you can do this…" He whispered, watching as Zack knocked on the door.

Cloud took his place facing the stairs as the door opened. Zack pushed it wider in and headed inside, following by Sephiroth and Vincent.

Hojo looked at the three men in shock. This wasn't right. Sephiroth should have been under Jenova's control, Vincent was to still be imprisoned, and Zack should be dead. He gasped.  
"You shouldn't be here. GUARDS? GUARDS!"


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** I've been looking forwards to writing this chapter! I hope you like it.  
**Pairings:** Sephiroth Vincent and Zack Cloud.  
**Warnings:** Violence, language, death

* * *

Zack slammed the door closed, leaving Cloud outside in the corridor to face the possibility of oncoming guards. He had no doubt that the young man could manage it, he had succeeded in dealing with Sephiroth and himself in training exercises, and hadn't panicked when Vincent had kidnapped him a little while ago. That meant that he could focus on dealing with Hojo. He rounded on the scientist, as Sephiroth walked forwards, moving in unison with Zack to force Hojo backwards into a corner.

Vincent stayed behind them, shaking and a little cowed at the presence of the man who featured in so many of his nightmares. He didn't want to approach him, didn't want Hojo to acknowledge he was there. Once he did that he might try and get more power over him. He couldn't handle that, not now, not again. His uneven arms wrapped around him and he shivered.

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Sephiroth asked, moving forwards and looming over the other man. "Didn't you think we were going to come back? Did you think we were going to die there, in that pointless little town with those stupid little words?" Zack reached up and placed a soothing hand on Sephiroth's shoulder, calming him down, reminding him that the voice was gone now.

Sephiroth calmed a little, staring at Hojo, repressed anger glittering fiercely in his eyes.  
"Well?"

Hojo gasped, mouth opening and closing rapidly. This was not what had been planned. Sephiroth should be under the Ancient's command, and have destroyed the village and the other SOLDIER. He should have become the ultimate super-weapon, ensuring ShinRa's greatness, along with that of Hojo himself. Instead he had returned, still in control of his own mind. He scanned the room looking for an explanation.  
"Valentine!"

Vincent shivered, wanting to back away but forcing himself to hold his ground. He wasn't going to give in this time.

Sephiroth looked down at Hojo, a sinister smirk on his face.  
"I'm not a child any more Hojo. I'm not going to play your games any longer." He stepped closer, making Hojo step backwards. "I'm not giving into you." Another step. "You aren't going to win." He had him trapped now, and reached out to ensure he couldn't escape. "Was it just you who planned this? Or was all of ShinRa involved?"

Hojo frowned, trying to buy himself a little more time. The others should be here soon, the guards he had called for, all he had to do was survive until they arrived. He thought that if he told the truth, it might distract these insane men for long enough for help to get here.  
"Yes. The President agreed for me to do something which would make you stronger and rob you of your freewill. He didn't realise it would put you under my control-"

"Well that makes it fine to take someone's free will then doesn't it!" Zack shouted, angry for his friend. He was about to launch at the scientist when he was stopped by the noise of a commotion outside.

Cloud wielded Zack's sword uncertainly but with determination. He knew that this was his only chance to prove he could do it. He had been using his rifle earlier, that was easier, but now they had got too close, and all that was left was the sword. It was so much heavier than Zack made it look, he used it effortlessly, while Cloud struggled to lift it. He was doing well, and having knocked one of the five guards out of the fight, badly injured a second, he was managing to hold the remainder at bay. That was until one had pulled out a taser, and shocked the young cadet. He screamed, letting his defences down.

Zack turned and rushed out to Cloud's aid, catching him and the sword before the cadet could be captured. He slung an almost unconscious Cloud over his shoulder, and attacked the guards. No one hurt Cloud and got away with it. Cloud hung on for dear life.

Sephiroth found himself left alone with the man he hated most, and his oldest friend. This was something he had been waiting for since childhood. This was his chance. He sheathed his sword, picking up a scalpel from the desk. This wasn't going to be fast, or pretty. He forced Hojo into a corner, holding the blade against his neck.

Hojo squirmed, breath speeding up. He felt sick, shocked that this was happening. It shouldn't have been, everything had been planned, and now it was all falling apart. He could feel his sweat dripping down his forehead, and he tried to move away from the blade, feeling the slight indent it was causing in his skin. He closed his eyes, trying to avoid Sephiroth's sickening smile.

"Vincent…" Sephiroth's voice was surpisingly soft, as he momentarily held back his desire to inflict pain on the scientist who had created him. "Can you come here?" Vincent stood, and on trembling legs approached. Sephiroth gave him a gentle smile, then pushed the blade a little deeper, drawing out a singular crimson bead of blood. Hojo flinched, and Sephiroth raised a finger to smear away the red liquid. He watched the man squirm for a few moments, before speaking directly to him.  
"We're going to do a little experiment Hojo. We're going to see how well you can cope with what you did to me as a child." He moved the scalpel down, slamming it into his shoulder and causing a thin river of scarlet to stain the white uniform of the scientist.

Hojo tried to move away but Sephiroth stopped him, tilting his head up so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Sephiroth smiled, a cold, sinister smile.  
"If I was you, I would apologise to me and Vincent for what you did to us."

Hojo nodded, words shaking slightly as they tumbled out of his mouth.  
"I'm sorry I hurt either of you. Sephiroth, look at what it's done for you… you've become great, ShinRa's finest, you can't hate me for that. I helped you." Sephiroth punched him, snarling.  
"YOU DESTROYED ME! YOU TRIED TO DRIVE ME INSANE! YOU TORTURED VINCENT!" Hojo whimpered in fear, shuddering and screaming as Sephiroth raised the scalpel again and again, inflicting a myriad of cuts. Vincent looked away, feeling sick, hating to see Sephiroth acting so violently.

After a few minutes, Sephiroth calmed. Hojo had collapsed onto the floor, still taking rasping gulps of air. Vincent covered his ears, hating what he had just witnessed. Sephiroth placed the scalpel out of the dying scientist's reach, and embraced Vincent, stroking his hair gently.  
"Vincent…Its over now…He will be dead soon…I'm sorry I did that, but I just hate him so much…" Vincent nodded, gazing at him sadly, wondering if Hojo could and should be saved.

"Are you sure you want him dead?" It didn't feel right, for Sephiroth to be the one to kill his father. Sephiroth nodded.  
"After what he did to us, yes…" He paused, and pressed the grip of the scalpel into Vincent's hand. "I think you should be the one to kill him. If you want to, with what he did, its only right that you deliver the final blow."

Vincent nodded, crouched, and in a single movement slit the scientist's throat. He could have made him suffer more, but he wasn't like Hojo. He was merciful. He looked down at the corpse, trembling, unable to believe the nightmare might actually be over. Sephiroth walked up behind him and pulled him into his arms, stroking his hair and shoulder, knowing that now he had to be the one to provide comfort.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:** Sorry for the slight delay! I have had major keyboard issues (My f key isn't working now, but the situation is better than it was). Thank you for your reviews and comments.  
**Pairings:** Zack/Cloud, Sephiroth/Vincent  
**Warnings:** Violence, language, hints of child abuse.

"You bastards!" Zack swung the huge sword which he had retrieved from Cloud's near unconscious grip. The cadet was clinging to his shoulders, relying on Zack to guard him and protect him, keeping him safe from the attacking guards. Zack fought like a demon, furious at what he had uncovered about Sephiroth, and the way these guards had attacked his friend. It was calming to be able to take his anger out on something, and he would have not give them a chance to escape and get more help. Knowing he was safe now, Cloud surrendered to his pain and passed out.

Vincent was resting back against Sephiroth, feeling sick. He had killed the scientist, and he was glad that Hojo could no longer harm anyone, but at the same time he felt remorse for taking a life. Hojo had not been a good person, but he had been a person, and Vincent had helped to end his life. Sephiroth's arms were still around him, stroking his hair.  
"It's alright Vincent. I know you didn't want to, but he had to die, he was a monster. You can't blame yourself, he was already dying, I killed him, you showed mercy, spared him pain. I can't be blamed, Hojo was the one who trained me to kill, even when I was a child. He wanted that to be all I knew. It's not a surprise I ended up turning against him."

Vincent rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulders, letting himself cry. He was stained by the blood of the man who had tortured him for so long, and he couldn't help the mixture of emotions which he was drowning in. He was full of freedom and happiness and regret, tangled up together and leaving him disorientated. Sephiroth stroked his hair, and he tried to relax, aiming to understand how he felt.  
"You… You're right Sephiroth…" he whispered. The man had been trained to kill ever since he was a little boy, and so he couldn't truly be blamed. Vincent had at times dreamed of killing Hojo, but he never had. He couldn't accuse Sephiroth for managing to finish what he had so often dreamed of doing. He shivered as he caught sight of the dead body.

With a final slice of his sword, Zack had incapacitated and injured all of the guards, and he was able to look after Cloud. He cured him, glad that no serious injuries had occurred. As Cloud's eyes blinked open, Zack pressed a kiss to his forehead. Cloud smiled shyly.  
"Did I do okay Zack? I'm sorry, I hadn't expected them to shock me."  
"You did good kid… You did really well." Zack smiled, kissing his forehead again. "Come on, let's go and see how the others are getting on." He carried Cloud back into the room, grinning at Sephiroth when he saw the dead body. "You got him then?"

Sephiroth paused, then nodded, amused at his friend's obvious delight. He was still cradling Vincent, wanting to reassure him. Zack bounced eagerly, then frowned.  
"Sephiroth, what are we going to do now? I don't want to stay here with a dead body, and some of the guards might wake up soon."

Sephiroth paused, and then smiled, nodding.  
"No, I understand that Zack. We can go up to my office, I want to show Vincent, and then we can work out what we are going to do next." He helped support Vincent, leading him up from the labs and into his office, Zack following behind, still cradling Cloud, the sword slung over his back.

Once they reached the office, Zack flopped down on the sofa, whilst Sephiroth checked the security cameras, setting them up to alert him if anyone went down to the laboratory or headed towards the office. So far the view was clear. That was reassuring. He sat in his chair, Vincent standing beside him.  
"This is incredible Sephiroth. I'm so proud you gained this much power, you've gone so far from that frightened little boy you used to be." Sephiroth nodded, squeezing Vincent's human hand.  
"Thanks to you."  
Zack sat up, face serious.  
"So what now?"

Sephiroth hesitated, and Zack continued, fury growing again now that the fights had finished and he could see his friend was alright.  
"We can't let ShinRa go on! They wanted to take away your free will! What if they try it again? They might destroy Soldier… Sephiroth, they wanted to drive you insane." He couldn't believe that ShinRa would have even considered doing that. Sephiroth paused and nodded.  
"Do you think we should remove the president?"  
"Yes I do! He's a fucking idiot, we can't have him running the company. He might destroy the plannet."

Vincent paused than nodded.  
"I would agree that it does seem rather dangerous to allow him to continue." Sephiroth smiled.  
"So then we are agreed. We should remove the "fucking idiot" as Zack so eloquently put it." Zack beamed, but Cloud frowned slightly, looking down. When he spoke, his voice shook in embarrassment, not wanting to disagree with his senior officers.  
"I… I agree that the President needs to be removed, but if we get rid of him the company could be destroyed. There'll be no one to take over it." Zack muttered in frustration, but Sephiroth nodded slowly, understanding.  
"Well thought out cadet."

Vincent looked down.  
"We could see if there are any other options." But he didn't want to go out of this room, he wanted to stay with Sephiroth. Sephiroth seemed to understand this, knowing it had been a long time since Vincent had been outside. He considered for a few moments.  
"Vincent, you can stay with me. Would you two go and look? If the ShinRa boy is there, then he could help us."

Zack nodded, taking Cloud's hand.  
"Come on Cloud, we'll see if we can find him." He hugged Cloud, and the cadet beamed up at him, earlier pain barely noticeable. Together they left the room and walked through the corridors, finally finding a door marked 'R. ShinRa.' Cloud knocked, but there was no reply. Zack pressed in his security code and walked inside, heading through into an office. At the desk was a young blonde boy wrapped in layers of suits. He couldn't have been older than 14. He glanced up nervously, but when he spoke his voice was level and calm, and his eyes looked like those of an adult.

"Who are you? Where is Tseng?" He wanted to call for help, but he knew his best survival chance was to seem calm. These men were in SOLDIER uniform, but they had just suddenly burst in here, and that raised his suspicions.  
"He's around…" Zack muttered. "We just wanted to talk to you about the company." Cloud frowned, noticing the tension that the boy was trying so hard to hide. He spoke more softly.  
"Rufus isn't it?" The boy nodded so Cloud kept talking. "We're here to help you. We're worried that your father tried to attack our friend, and we wanted to see if we could talk to you."

Rufus nodded again, and Zack moved away.  
"Cloud, I'm gonna look around, you seem to have the kid under control." With that he walked off to explore the interconnected rooms. Rufus's heart was racing, and he tried to think of his options, not letting any panic show. He just had to work out what should be done about these intruders, and do it. It couldn't be very hard. Cloud sat on the end of his desk and smiled.  
"I'm Cloud, and that idiot's Zack. We just wanted to talk to you. Your father nearly drove our friend insane, and we just wanted to ask what you thought of him.

Rufus glared at the floor and shrugged. Father didn't have time for him, couldn't care for him. The company was more important, always had been.  
"Alright. Ask away." He kept his head down and his voice steady.

Back in Sephiroth's office the two of them were discussing what had happened to Sephiroth since they had seen each other last. Sephiroth's hands were around Vincent's, and as Vincent congratulated him he darted forwards and kissed his cheek. Vincent paused for a moment, then nodded, processing this information. Sephiroth blinked a little at the serious calculation in the other's eyes, then understood. Vincent was confused. He squeezed Vincent's human hand.  
"Vincent…" He smiled at him and then leant forwards, lips almost brushing his. "I'm not a little boy anymore. I'm an adult, I know what I want. I came back for you because you're my friend but…" He leant a little further forwards and his lips brushed Vincent's. Vincent squeezed his hand in return.

Zack whistled to himself as he explored the boy's room. This kid really did live in luxury, it was unbelievable. Every surface was highly decorated and polished, and the ShinRa logo shined constantly. He kept looking around, pushing open a door and freezing.  
"Cloud? You'd better come and take a look at this."

Cloud smiled and excused himself from his place talking to the young vice-president, walking through the maze of room's to Zack's side. He frowned as he found himself faced with an empty small stone-walled cell, incongruous to its surroundings, and with a small patch of blood on a wall.


	15. Chapter 15

**To Tue:** I doubt you'll read this, but thank you so much for your review. It was great of you to do this, and I hope that this chapter makes it make more sense. As for Sephiroth and Vincent's relationship, you raised some very good points, and thank you ^.^ I got the review, and I'm really grateful for it.  
**AN:** I've finally managed to fix my keyboard! This chapter's changed direction slightly, sorry if anyone's disappointed.  
**Pairings:** Zack/Cloud, kind of Sephiroth/Vincent  
**Warnings:** Language, mentions of violence

* * *

Vincent pulled away from Sephiroth's kiss, keeping a hold of his hands. He glanced into Sephiroth's eyes, and then, seeing the deep emotion which shone within them, turned away. He sighed, unable to face that look. He thought of Lucrecia, the woman he had loved, and how much of her was in her son.  
"Sephiroth, I know I was your first friend, you are very dear to me. I want to be one that you can always turn to, and if we... that would no longer be possible."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to protest, raising his hands and resting them on Vincent's shoulders, holding him so that they were looking into each other's eyes.  
"Vincent....you're the only one I've ever loved. You're the one I care about most. It's because of you that I am able to be friends with Zack and the others. You've made me so happy..." He leant up and kissed him again. Vincent pulled away for a second time.

Vincent paused, smiling a little sadly at Sephiroth. He knew that this was going to hurt him, but he had to tell him the truth. He raised a hand to stroke Sephiroth's hair, speaking as gently as he could in an attempt to soften the blow.  
"If you want to try and built a relationship Sephiroth, we can try. But I think I will always see you as more of a son." He flinched at the hurt in Sephiroth's eyes, still stroking his hair. He didn't want to disappoint Sephiroth after all they had been through, but he had only just regained his freedom. He wasn't prepared to try and face any kind of relationship yet. There was a second reason as well. He knew that one day, Sephiroth would die and he would not. This day would be devastating, but would be even worse should he have yet closer emotional ties with Sephiroth. For that reason, he wanted to avoid all close relationships.

Sephiroth could see that there was something else wrong, something further than the reason Vincent had given him. But he could also see that it would hurt if he delved too deeply into the pain. He kissed his cheek and nodded.  
"I understand Vincent." He smiled at him, hiding all the pain he felt inside. Vincent deserved that small comfort at least. He raised his hand and stroked Vincent's pale cheek, taking pride in the fragile smile he had conjured on the other's face. Vincent would explain the real reason when he was ready. He couldn't press for it until that moment.

Cloud frowned, looking rapidly between Zack and the cell.  
"Zack..." He shivered, glancing again at the dried blood on the floor. "What is that?"

Zack wrapped his arms around Cloud, trying to provide some comfort, forcing himself not to jump to the most obvious conclusion.  
"It's dried blood Cloud." Cloud frowned.  
"Well who's it from?"  
"How the bloody hell would I know Cloud? The only person who'll know that is Rufus... We should go and ask him."

Cloud shook his head. He didn't want to agree to that.  
"Zack, we don't know if it's his!"  
"Cloud, if we don't ask, we can't find out. The others are waiting for us. You're better at talking than me." Cloud sighed and nodded, knowing he couldn't argue about that. He hugged Zack again, and then headed back to the office to speak to Rufus.

The boy was still sat at his desk, busy working on some paperwork. Cloud walked closer, settling on sitting at the edge of the desk. He took a deep breath, moving the paperwork out of Reno's reach. He tried to work out how to explain it.  
"We were looking through your rooms..." He took another deep breath. "We found a cell."

Rufus looked up at him with practiced disinterest. Cloud paused, then realising that the other wasn't going to speak, continued.  
"Rufus, why is there a cell in your room?" He frowned when the other boy just shrugged. "Rufus?" He questioned, voice gentler. He tried to ignore Zack curiously peering into the room.  
"When I was younger I did not like large spaces. It was built in an attempt by my father to cure me. Unfortunately, it made the matter worse, as I also developed a fear of smaller spaces." Cloud frowned but nodded, accepting that explanation. Then something else sprang to mind and he frowned again.  
"Hang on, why was there relatively fresh blood on the floor of the cell if you only used it when you were younger?"

Rufus paused, speaking emotionlessly.  
"It serves as a torture cell for those who go against my Father's wishes, particularly those connected to the AVALANCHE group." He shrugged and Cloud blinked slightly, unsure why anyone would want a rebel's torture cell in their son's rooms.

Zack paused, walking over and standing behind the desk, one hand reaching to ruffle Cloud's hair spikes.  
"You know what though Rufus? That's weird. I mean, most of ShinRa's torture cells are in the dungeons. If they're to do with your father, why did he stick them in your room? It's not like he can't afford to have more built." Cloud nodded, agreeing with what Zack had said. It wasn't just unusual, it was pointless.

Rufus paused and shook his head, a little surprised that the SOLDIER had shown enough intelligence to work that out.  
"Father has been showing me their suffering." The calm way in which he said it made Cloud gag. Zack shivered slightly.  
"Why the fuck would he want to do that?"

Rufus continued just as calmly as he had before, his hands picking up a pen and fiddling with it to avoid having to face them.  
"Partially he has been doing it to ensure that I do not attempt to work with AVALANCHE again, to keep me frightened. He has mainly been doing it though to prove his scientist, Professor Hojo's, theory that we, our Turks and SOLDIER, are superior to those in the slums. Father wishes me to learn how to manipulate and control the lower classes."

Zack shuddered at the calm way that the boy spoke, wondering if this young man would be any better than his father. He'd been the one they'd planned to give power to when the President was dead, but the idea now worried him. It seemed like he might possibly be worse.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN:** Penultimate chapter, nearly all finished. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I am so sorry for the delay – I had my university results, and I found out that I'm going to Oxford. So I'm happy!  
**Warnings:** Violence and bad language.

* * *

Cloud gasped, reaching out towards Rufus but moving his hand away at the last moment, not wanting to startle him. He smiled weakly at the blonde boy.  
"I'm sure that ...Rufus, surely you know that the lower classes aren't inferior. They might not have been enhanced, but they are still people. It is wrong for your father to try and make you think otherwise." Rufus shrugged. Cloud sighed and continued. "Rufus, they aren't, and you shouldn't be kept frightened...your father has been abusing his power."

The boy shrugged again, adjusting the pile of paperwork on his desk and in doing so moving further from Cloud's touch.  
"There's no change there then."  
Cloud frowned.  
"Yes, but this time there's...he let Hojo experiment on Sephiroth. Sephiroth almost went insane, if he had then he could have killed a village, my village, maybe even destroyed the world."

Rufus shrugged a third time.  
"I can't be held responsible for my father's actions. What do you expect me to do about it? There's no way I can help."

Zack grinned, leaning forwards, remembering all the rumours about how power hungry the boy was. This hunger was made far more understandable when you realised what he had been through.  
"Oh yes you can help, and I think you might like how. See, we've already gotten rid of Hojo, and we plan to get rid of your Father as well." He smiled, noticing the way that the boy's eyes glinted. This was going better than he had hoped, the child was more than happy to work with them. "But if we do this, the country may be plunged into chaos. The only way I can think of avoiding this would be for someone who has been trained to lead to take his place. You could do this, Vice-president, especially if we used Sephiroth and some others to guide you." The boy was hanging onto his every word, hopeful that he would be able to take advantage of this and use it to succeed, and had been hurt by the other's use of his professional title. "So, what do you say? Are you with us, or with your father?"

The boy frowned, and then nervously held out his hand towards Cloud. Cloud shook it gently, careful not to startle or offend the youngster who would soon be running the world.  
"You made the right choice Rufus. You will not need to be frightened by your father any more, I shall make sure that you are safe."

Rufus nodded, shaking Cloud's hand, eyes almost glowing with ice cold determination. He wanted his father dead, wanted to have his own chance to protect and govern the world.  
"Kill him."

Zack nodded, walking to the door.  
"I will. Cloud, you keep an eye on ShinRa....on Rufus, and I'll find the others and get the job finished." Cloud nodded, crossing his fingers for luck and hoping that Zack would succeed. He turned back to the boy. "Is there anything you need?" Rufus shook his head, smiling shyly back at him, and opened his cell phone, calling Tseng, the Turk who had been serving as his body guard, and to whom he was close.

Zack walked back to the lab, finding Vincent sitting curled up on Sephiroth's lap. He ignored Hojo's corpse and the severely injured guards.  
"Cloud's talking to Rufus. He'll take on the job once we've got rid of the presid-...where you two having a moment?" Vincent smiled and cuddled closer to Sephiroth, who raised an eyebrow and frowned at the overenthusiastic puppy.  
"Yes, we were, but it's over now..." Zack pouted and Sephiroth smiled. "Come on, let's deal with him."

Vincent climbed off of the other's lap, and Zack gave Sephiroth an encouraging hug before helping him to his feet. Sephiroth led the way to the President's office, his security code giving him access. He walked in, pulled out masamune and walked straight to the desk. He wasn't sure he could kill him, but making sure the man never returned would have the same effect.  
"Sir, we are here to remove you from your position. You allowed Hojo's experiments to continue for far too long, the man is a monster. A monster which is now dead. Unless you agree to leave now, and hand over control of the company to your son, you will join him."

The President frowned, reaching for the button to call for security.  
"This....this is...Sephiroth, don't..." Sephiroth stepped closer, using his blade to flick the president's hand from the control. He smiled at the repulsive man.  
"You are going to leave. You will stay in a small mansion, and will not try and get control over the country again."

The President nodded, shaking. Vincent opened the door at a knock, and was shocked to see a Turk standing there. It brought back so many memories. This Turk was Wutaian, with shoulder length hair in a ponytail. Zack smiled.  
"Hey Tseng...uh..." Tseng smiled slightly at his friend's awkwardness, his accent soft.  
"Don't worry Zack, Rufus has already called me to explain. Has he agreed to hand over power?" Vincent nodded, and Tseng smirked almost invisibly. "Sir, let me escort you to your new rooms." The President was stunned by what had happened, and so let Tseng guide him from the room and into one of the helicopters. Once they were in the air, Tseng withdrew his gun and carried out the new President's orders.

Rufus waited for Tseng's text, and having received it, he smiled at Cloud.  
"Everything has been taken care of..." He frowned slightly. He wasn't quite sure what he would do now. Cloud seemed to understand, and placed his hand over Rufus'.  
"We'll help you." Rufus smiled and nodded.

Sephiroth and Zack led the way back to Rufus's room, Vincent a little way behind, looking around and memorizing everything that had changed since he had last been free. He felt now that with Sephiroth and the other's help, he would be able to adapt and try to put Hojo's treatment behind him. Maybe one day he'd even be able to live a normal life.


	17. Chapter 17

**Warnings:** None  
**Pairings:** Zack/Cloud  
**AN:** Thank you for the support, finally got to the end of this! I really enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the reviews! Special thanks to shadowhaloedangel, who says this is part of the reason she loves Sephiroth and Vincent as a pairing.

* * *

Rufus looked over at the leader of the WRO, and Reeve smiled back. Reeve had been supportive of the young president, guiding him to help restore the world, and correct the mistakes that his father had made, becoming a paternal figure himself to the young man.

Cait Sith walked over, carrying a tray of drinks. He deposited it on the table, and, after he was petted by Reeve, left again. Rufus relaxed a little at the drink, taking a sip and smiling over the top of his glass at Reeve.  
"Thank you Reeve." Reeve shrugged, smiling and toasting the other.  
"To President Rufus." Rufus looked down, mildly embarrassed by the other. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then replied.  
"To the WRO." The two of them drunk, before the conversation became more serious.

"Tuetsi-"  
"Please, I've told you, call me Reeve." Rufus smiled and nodded, continuing to talk.  
"Reeve, how are the plans for the slum renovations going?"Reeve pulled some blueprints up onto the desk, spreading them out for the President to survey.  
"Well... ensuring basic sanitation and necessary food and water supplies should be relatively simple, so phase one of the reconstruction will rapidly be completed. Ensuring the abandoned children are protected, phase two, is beginning to work, helped by the adoption of many of them by those on the plate. As for phase three, increasing the employment prospects and literacy levels...we still have some way to go."

Rufus nodded. He had come to agree with Cloud's view that those in the slums were not inferior by birth, but rather by environment. His company would greatly benefit if he was able to tap into their potential labour value. Reeve smiled at him.

"Will you be requiring any extra funding?" Reeve shook his head.  
"What you have already provided is more than sufficient for now Rufus, thank you for your help."

Rufus smiled, and the meeting continued, based on questions of how Reeve was progressing, and trying to ensure that Rufus and Reeve's visions for a better future were coherent.

* * *

Zack smiled, grinning over the new cadets, the recently promoted Third at his side.  
"Go and have fun, you all worked well today! Don't give up!" He waved and dismissed them, then turned to Cloud, smiling at him. "See, taking classes isn't too hard." It had gone well, though they had had to instruct many of the cadets on the basics. They had had little prior experience, but almost all the cadets were eager to learn.

Cloud smiled and rolled his eyes. It was better than he'd expected, and he was feeling a lot more confident than he had previously. The youngsters seemed to have realised that he was feeling a bit uncertain, so had been more patient than they normally would have been.  
"I'm still a bit nervous about it..." Zack grinned.  
"Yeh but you do good. It helps the kids to have people around their age there to work with them." He ruffled Cloud's hair, then, having checked no one was looking, kissed the shy blonde's cheek. Cloud's blush worsened.  
"Zack! Rufus said to cut down on public displays of affection!" Zack opened his mouth, but Cloud continued, not letting Zack get a word in. "And yes, I know you're not molesting me in public any more, but our relationship is meant to be kept private."

Zack paused, then grinned and hugged Cloud.  
"Yeh, I know Spike. And I haven't been molesting you in public, it doesn't mean I won't in future." He smirked after a few second's thought. "Guess what Cloud?"  
Cloud blinked in confusion.  
"What is it Zack?" He moved away slightly at the other's rather terrifying grin.  
"It's the future now!" Cloud squeaked as Zack picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him out of public and into their rooms. Cloud rolled his eyes a second time, but didn't really protest, petting Zack's shoulder.

One of the new cadets turned to his training partner having replaced his sword in the rack, a huge grin on his face.  
"Raif, do you think our teachers' might be queer?" Raif shrugged.  
"I've got no idea, but everyone's saying that the older one's going to be our new general." Raif's companion blinked, but accepted the information. Commander Fair was a bit on the strange side, but he did work hard, and he was kind. It could be worse.

* * *

Vincent sat in the shade of the house, waiting for Sephiroth's return. They were free now, living the life he had always dreamed about. They had their own house, with a huge garden. It was surrounded by high fences so that he would have shade from the sun, and the flowerbeds were just coming into bloom. Inside the house the rooms were small but practical. Both his and Sephiroth's rooms had a large double bed, and above them were huge skylights. Vincent found that reassuring, to watch the sky at night and remind himself he would never wake up faced with the wooden lid of a coffin again.

There was also a kitchen, living room, dining room, a room for guests, and now a third bedroom. Vincent tapped his metallic fingers on the floor to hide his concern. Whilst both he and Sephiroth were comfortable and happy in their new house, today a new member of the family would be arriving, and he was worried that they wouldn't fit in, or that they wouldn't like him.

It had been Sephiroth's idea. He'd been up in Midgar to talk to Reeve, and the idea of adoption had been raised. Initially Vincent was against the idea. He was a cursed man, and though he had been able to help Sephiroth, there was little chance of him ever managing to help the lives of anyone else. He had refused to meet with the girl, even offering to move out so that the two of them wouldn't be brought into close contact with each other. Then Sephiroth had shown him the picture, and his resolution had melted. Looking into her warm brown eyes, he had agreed that yes, there would be a place in their home, and in their hearts, for the little girl.

Now he was wondering if he had made the right choice. The ShinRa marked car was pulling up to their drive, and now they didn't have a chance to go back on it. Sephiroth parked and stepped out, a fragile smile on his face.

He walked around and opened the door, and a small, slightly scruffy girl of about seven climbed out. Vincent raised a hand and waved at her, and she waved back. Sephiroth smiled, ruffling the girl's short hair.  
"Aine, welcome to your new home." The three of them could be a family, finally free from Hojo and the horrors of the labs.


End file.
